Armchair Golf Pro: Accenture Match Play, Luke Donald

The Armchair Golf Pro writes about PGA Tour events. Like you he is watching TV from his comfy armchair, enjoying the competition and drama, but also observing lessons that can be used to play better golf.

Getty Images via @daylife

Luke Donald beat the world’s #1 golfer Martin Kaymer 3 & 2 to capture the Accenture World Match Play Championship. For Donald, a veteran of more than 200 PGA Tour starts and only two prior wins, this was his most important victory to date.

Donald had a remarkable week. He never trailed in any of his seven matches. What’s interesting is that Donald is a little guy who is also a short hitter. He often gives up 40 to 50 yards off the tee to his competitors. Yet he still dominated.

Donald gives the credit to his short game, and the stats bear him out. Coming into the last match his Up & Down percentage – what Peter Jacobsen referred to as his “scrambling” stat – was 90%. He got up and down 16 of 18 times. Contrast that to the average Pro scrambling stat of around 70% and the average weekend warrior’s stat of around 20%. It’s often said that if you want to be a better putter … learn to chip.

Because Donald is a short hitter he calls himself an “old-style” golfer. He has to rely much more on course navigation and quality shots around the green. Johnny Miller was constantly harping on how weak Donald’s driving game was, and even said that poor driving was probably the reason he hadn’t won more tournaments.

A couple of years ago Donald tried to change his swing to get more distance. But he wound up losing accuracy instead and his scoring performance actually declined. He went back to trying to hit more fairways and only then did he start to play better golf. A good thing to keep in mind – accuracy first, distance second. Even though I teach the key components of distance in The 5 Keys To Distance, the fundamental concepts in the program contribute just as much to accuracy; particularly the very first skill in the program – athletic balance.

I like match play because we get to focus on just a couple of players for the entire round. It’s a great chance to see how they approach each hole and each shot. There’s the added element of making strategy decisions based sometimes on the shot requirements and sometimes on the opponent’s situation.

The thing that struck me about both players, though, was not that either of them played spectacularly well. In fact they didn’t play particularly well at all. What made the difference was how each player managed their misses.

Both players know their “miss” tendencies. Kaymer’s miss is to the right. Donald’s miss is to the left. I think Donald tends to get “stuck” at impact because his left hip rises instead of continuing its rotation to the target. As a result he flips the club head over rather than extending squarely to the target and he pulls or hooks his shots.

What allows them to play well and score well is that they plan their shot strategy to account for their miss tendency. When there is trouble on the left or the short side pin placement is left, Donald aims farther right. When there is trouble right he doesn’t even worry about it: he knows he can go right at his target.

It was a good match. It could have gone either way. In the end Kaymer made a few mistakes and missed a few critical putts. The Armchair Golf Pro’s take-away is to remember to play to your strengths, plan your shot strategy to allow for your miss tendencies, and put in some quality time practicing shots around the green.

Share this:

2 Responses

ERIC…I am most comfortable paying close attention to your advice because of your logical approach and fundamental explanations.

I’ve been a customer for a while and clearly improved my game….but got away from the drills over time. I’ve recently developed a tendency to pull the short irons unexpectedly and now have begun to pull hook big drives with a sense that I over hit and pulled my self too far through the shot….which sounds a bit illogical.

Hi Paul, thanks for leaving your question. You ask a challenging question about pulling and hooking, because there could be several root causes. What we do know from your description is that your club face is closed at impact, and your club path is likely going left. If nothing else has changed, try the Tension Free drills. You may simply be overpowering the downswing with your right arm/grip. You could also try weakening the left hand a bit on the grip. I would also look at your balance to see if you are moving your upper body in toward the ball on the downswing – which could be a balance or Leverage issue.
In any case the best way to address hooks and pulls is usually to work on extending the club toward the target after impact. If you can pay attention to your club face at impact the next time you are at the range and see if you can figure out why you are closing the face, then post another question with your feedback here, we might be able to get more specifically at the root of the issue.

CUSTOMER TESTIMONIALS

"Eric, This is superb instruction. Very clear and easy to understand. I have countless books and videos on golf instruction but you are the first person to explain these principles so clearly. I have been struggling for years with hitting from the top and now after watching just a couple of videos I have very clear idea of how to finally overcome it. Thank you very much." Don

"Eric - After the dozens of lessons I have had from accomplished PGA pros and the hundreds of hours I have spent practicing my swing I did not believe I would ever be able to overcome my obsession with the mechanics of the swing. Nor did I believe it was even possible to will myself into “the zone” and, potentially, stay there for long periods in spite of the chaos going on around me. Nor did I believe I could apply the concepts involved in the full swing to every part of my game with ease and immediate results. After reading The Five Keys to Distance and practicing your drills for a few months I now know I was wrong on all counts! Your methods are pure genius!" JM

Hi Eric,
"I wanted to send you a big thanks to your 5 Keys to Distance program. It has done two very important things with my golf. The first is that it has increased my ball flight carry by 10% in only a few weeks. And secondly and the most satisfying is it has given my whole golf game in particular my shots from scoring range (100 yards and closer to the green) pure control with my centered balance. So I can't thank you enough. Your balance drills I do without fail each morning before breakfast, and it will continue to be my daily routine. Without Balance The Club Can Not Swing!! Kind regards." Clayton P.

"Eric, I know you promised me 20 more yards with my driver. I'm actually getting more like 30 yards and sometimes even 50 more yards. But what you didn't mention is the added distance WITH EVERY CLUB IN MY BAG! I'm hitting all my irons at least one club longer, plus I'm really compressing the ball now. It's so much fun! You should tell everyone about this "extra" benefit from your program!" Gerry M.

"Eric, I have to tell you that I’m absolutely delighted with your drills. They make perfect sense to me, and I’m actually enjoying doing them because I can tell intuitively that they will make a real difference. I have for a long time avoided going to the range because I felt that I was simply reinforcing my mistakes. I am going to the range now with quite a different attitude because after only two sessions on the range I can see improvement already. I’m determined to keep up with the drills, and I can tell you that your presentation of them is excellent. I’ve had lots of lessons in the past from some of the best "swing gurus" in the world. But none of them have made a real difference to my swing like you have. I’m very excited now because I can already feel the difference. Best wishes" Jeff W.

“Eric, After several weeks of study and practice on the first section of BLAST the results have been OUTSTANDING! At age 73 my driver length ranged between 175 yards and 210 yards. Now with some extensive training from you the distances are ranging from 220 yards to 255 yards. The 255 yd. distance was achieved after working on the BALANCE, LEVERAGE & ARC WIDTH drills. Thank you for your help. I almost resigned myself to play from the seniors tee or give up golf!” Dick B.

"I just wanted to follow up with you regarding my progress while using your program. After just 3 months I am seeing a lot of new and exciting things happening to my golf swing. I find that I am hitting all of my clubs longer and more squarely than ever before. Every shot I hit now feels like it is hitting the sweet spot and is going very straight. My club head speed use to be about 90 mph now my club head speed is on average 110 mph. The main key for me was increasing my hip speed and reducing my grip pressure. My old swing was very arm dependent and now it feels like I can swing much faster with a lot less effort. Thank you again for your great series." Jorge O.

"Hi Eric, I recently purchased your instructional videos on Long Drive. They are the best golf teaching tool I have ever found. Your explanations of what to do and why are outstanding. I am a structural engineer and have a good understanding of the physics, mechanics and dynamics of the golf swing, so your explanations are especially meaningful to me. At age 63, I am still reasonably fit and strong, and your instructional videos have increased my average distance per club by 15 to 30 yards. Thanks for excellent videos!” Barry

Hi Eric,
"I ordered your book and DVD a few weeks ago and I'm getting a lot out of it! I'm going very slowly, but thoroughly. Thanks very much for writing it. I've read tons of golf books, but no one has ever put as much emphasis on balance and FEELING what the body is doing during the swing. The drills bypass the intellect and force the body to "get it" directly." Pete

"Eric, I received your book yesterday and have been reading it and highlighting ever since. Your book, DVD, and interviews are awesome!! Just what I have been looking for a very long time. I can tell already that I need to build up some stabilizing muscles in my body. Thanks again for your dedicated research and sharing this incredible book with your fellow golfers." Mike P.

“Just want to tell you that I've been doing the drills for a few weeks now, up to the swing arc drills, and am noticing much improvement at the range. I can't wait to take it out to the course. Thanks for simplifying golf instruction for me!" Rick P.

Dear Eric
"Instantly you made the game fun again. The consistency was amazing, both as to direction as well as trajectory and shot shape. Even the sound of the iron shots was much better. Thanks for an exciting round. I love working through all the steps and drills. Greens in regulation are now the rule and not the exception. More distance, less effort, more accuracy, no sore muscles, more fun." Ron G.

"Eric, best investment I've made so far in all the you know whats out there. I played nine and was nailing my tee shots like I haven't seen in ages. I haven't been more encouraged ever." Peter S.

"Eric, You have an uncanny ability to break down the components of the golf swing into simple terms with great clarity. I gain additional insight each time I read your book “5 Keys to Distance” and review this video. Thank you soooo much. When is your next book coming out? Please put me down for the first release." Orson L.